Lust System: Harem Of Beautiful Women Chapter 588 Darian

As soon as they settled around the table, a lecherous smirk couldn't help but creep onto Luis’s face.

Scanning the room in the soft evening light, he spotted Hela looking radiant and elegant, yet she was far too preoccupied with the guests to be approached, so Luis decided not to intrude.

At his current table, however, sat a familiar figure: Brook. She was an absolute stunner, a woman whom Nancy addressed as sister-in-law.

The most glaring detail was that her husband, his cousin Darian, was positioned right beside her. Luis felt a sharp urge to observe this cuckold in his natural habitat.

Darian was not exactly a towering man. It seemed to be a case of genetic misfortune or a bloodline regression within the family. The previous generation had been comprised of robust, tall individuals, but their offspring, regardless of their gender, were surprisingly short.

Daniel, meanwhile, wasn't physically imposing either, but he possessed a polished, refined air. Paired with his carefree attitude, he embodied the quintessential wealthy young master, a facade that effectively reeled in his sister-in-law.

Darian, conversely, was an entirely different character. Describing him as a sly, rat-like creature was far from an exaggeration. There was nothing menacing about him; one look was enough to identify him as a contemptible soul.

No sooner had he sat down than his voice began to drip with an arrogant, grating tone, the kind of hostility that ensured all eyes were on him, whether people wanted to look or not.

Not long ago, this fool had blundered into a street fight after overindulging in spirits. His complete lack of restraint led to a stint in jail. They had only managed to bail him out just in time for this grand housewarming, though it surely cost a small fortune.

Brook remained seated near him, putting on a front of affection that was clearly devoid of any genuine feeling.

According to Hela, their marriage had long since soured. Whether they had offspring was beside the point; the real problem was the man himself.

He was pathologically idle, always eager to stir the pot. Over the years, he had bled his father’s fortune dry. If his vices were limited to food, drink, and gambling, one might overlook it, but his constant, reckless trouble-making was simply past the threshold of tolerance.

It was said that his father was a formidable man of wealth, a calculating merchant specializing in the jadeite trade.

The jadeite industry is home to hard-nosed individuals, but ruthlessness is not a guarantee of wealth. His father was both clever and cold-blooded.

Years ago, he made his name in the rough stone business. Naturally, anyone able to consistently extract value from those stones was a master, and his father fit the mold. Moreover, because he treated it purely as business and avoided the gambling tables himself, he successfully amassed a massive pile of wealth.

His father was the primary financier for this manor. Although the jadeite trade had slowed and the gambling market had dried up, an old pro like him was like a starving camel—still larger than any horse.

The only thing constant in the household was his son, a textbook definition of a prodigal heir who committed every insane act one could conceive.

They had harbored hopes that marriage would force him to grow up, but those dreams were quickly shattered. The man was perpetually carousing. The fact that Brook hadn't filed for divorce was merely a final effort to save face for her elders.

Darian took a swig of his drink, his expression curling in disdain. "Daniel, look at the pathetic business you run. What's the point of a crummy bar? You kill yourself with work and swallow your pride, and for what?"

"That pittance you bring home—what is that even good for?!"

His family commanded the greatest wealth at the table. In the past, Daniel might have bitten his tongue.

But tonight, Daniel’s patience had vanished. He flashed a chilling, icy smirk and hit back. "Big brother, it is still better than being an aimless parasite, is it not? At least I run a legitimate operation and sustain myself."

"You call that money? Is it blood money or just slave wages?"

Darian scoffed boorishly, "Only losers settle for that kind of change. I have told you repeatedly, you lack the vision and the connections to matter."

"Come, let us drink!"

Sensing a storm brewing, Brook hurriedly raised her glass, masking her anxiety behind a strained, forced smile.

Daniel wasn't inclined to grant her any mercy, but then he noticed Luis. Luis casually lifted his flute, adding easily, "Let us drink. Let us leave the rest of that talk for another time."

Seeing this, Daniel held his tongue out of respect for Luis, but Darian just vented a sneering grunt. "So, this is the brother-in-law? That live-in son-in-law, right? What kind of pathetic status is that?"

"What real man would accept being a live-in husband? That is lower than a eunuch. At least eunuchs were once attached to the Emperor."

Luis was certain he had done nothing to offend this man, yet the guy’s speech was vile. This random, aggressive assault was completely unprovoked.

At this moment, the allegiances were crystal clear. Luis and Daniel stood on the same ground, and they had no intention of eating this insult.

The second the words left Darian's mouth, the table fell into an uncomfortable, suffocating silence. Witnesses frowned, collectively deciding he had crossed a line.

Luis, however, raised his glass with a calm, inviting smile. "Cousin, your point is well taken. But to be a live-in son-in-law, one must at least be presentable. Looking at your, shall we say, 'distinctive' physical attributes, it is obvious you simply don't possess the aesthetic qualifications for the role."

"As for myself, I am fortunate enough to have a decent face and frame. In my youth, I was nearly groomed for a different type of work, but I avoided that trap. Looking back, I suppose I do have a few assets to my name."

"Current life is quite pleasant. I rely on neither my parents nor my in-laws, and I have enough gold in my pockets to enjoy myself."

"Honestly, I envy you slightly. You have no purpose yet you never lack for funds. Having wealthy parents is truly a blessing. As to whether the inheritor is actually a man of quality—well, that is not for me to judge."

A sharp snort escaped Nancy as she broke into a laugh. Her sister-in-law’s raw honesty was, as always, her most charming trait.

The remark hit Darian exactly where it hurt—his appearance. While some might outgrow their insecurities, targeting his looks while mocking his reliance on his parents was a devastating strike to his ego. Like Daniel, Darian found his face turning a dark, uglier shade of fury.

Brook looked increasingly mortified, her gaze drifting toward her husband as if to blame him for his own reckless, caustic mouth.

"Oh, by the way, cousin," Nancy asked with an innocent, naive expression, "when are you getting that new car?"

"You mentioned wanting the Ferrari, right? That was what, two years ago? Still stalling?"

"That purchase is complicated. It is not the money, but the importation red tape. License plates are a nightmare around here."

"You know the speed limits and the terrible state of these roads. Even on the highway, it is so easy to bottom out..."

Luis understood the dynamic now. Daniel and Darian were oil and water. Since Nancy had joined the family, she had been forced to take firmly hold of her husband’s side.

Brook, conversely, seemed completely checked out, filled only with the anxiety of a woman waiting for her husband to ignite another explosive conflict, her expression frozen into a bitter, helpless mask.

Luis recalled Hela mentioning that Brook came from humble roots, just a woman from a common village.

Marrying Darian had been a desperate gamble, the kind of situation where her family required funds for urgent medical procedures. The plot was as old as time.

In the immediate aftermath of the nuptials, Darian had been content, but he soon devolved into his old habits—whoring and drinking while disregarding his wife entirely.

With a father-in-law distracted by jadeite deals and a mother-in-law embroiled in her own affairs—not to mention the father-in-law’s own history of mistresses—the household was a disaster.

Her husband was rarely at home. After they proved unable to conceive, the medical diagnosis pointed solely to Darian, leading him to abandon the marriage entirely, becoming a phantom within his own home.